So many artists, so many songs, so little time. Each week we review a handful of new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, track premieres, and more all day. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
CONOR OBERST & CRAIG WEDREN – “JUSTICE TO A SCREAM”
Craig Wedren scored new short documentary ALOK, and the filmmakers have now shared the end title track, which Wedren co-wrote and performed with Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. Alok Vaid-Menon, the subject of the film, says, “Conor Oberst was my idol growing up. I’ve always regarded his lyricism as among the very best of contemporary poetry and it’s such a full circle moment to collaborate with him on this song. Literally a dream come true. And what a bop!” Oberst adds, “I am a longtime admirer of ALOK. Their powerful writing, art and advocacy for transgender people and all people who suffer from the lunacy of ignorance and bigotry that permeates our society is inspirational. So when the opportunity to work on this song with Craig Wedren came along I was thrilled. I am also a big time, lifelong fan of Craig – from the amazing Shudder to Think records through his various projects and solo work. He possesses a truly one of a kind musical mind and a voice as unique and iconoclastic as he is. He has also been a great and treasured friend of mine for many years. This is all to say I loved working on this project with these two incredible pioneers.”
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DAWES – “CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE WINDOW”
Taylor Goldsmith says Dawes’ new holiday track “Christmas Tree in the Window” is “a song about the spirit of Christmas making someone decide to be a better person. It’s been easy to get cynical about the holiday season as I’ve gotten older, but there are still moments when a song, a decoration, or a special moment can bring all the magic back. This song is obviously a ridiculous example of that feeling, but hopefully still an experience we can all relate to at its core.”
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ARNY MARGRET – “HAPPY NEW YEAR”
“This one is about Christmas and New Year,” Arny Margret says of “Happy New Year,” the latest single off her new album I Miss You, I Do. “New Year’s Eve has never been the best time of year for me, I’ve always felt like it’s a sad and dark time…there’s probably a lot of people out there that can connect to that.”
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OPEN HEAD – “NY FRILLS”
Open Head’s debut album What is Success comes out in January, and they’ve given us another early taste with post-punk track “NY Frills.” “In a sort of homage to New York No-Wave, N.Y. Frills is an encounter with the monotone Goliath that is Manhattan,” the band say. “Our guitarist Brandon Minnervini sings the song, and together with bassist Jon McCarthy he wrote it while working for a fabrication business in Kingston, sanding designer aluminum shelving.”
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FORLORN – “SPIRIT”
There are multiple bands named Forlorn, and this one is about the London “folk horror” band who recently signed to Church Road. Here’s their towering, haunting new single “Spirit.”
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THE ABRUPTORS – “SUCH A MESS”
Buffalo ska band The Abruptors have announced a new album, Everything You Know Is Wrong, due December 6 via Asian Man. Here’s the upbeat lead single “Such A Mess.”
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PHIL COOK – “I MADE A LOVERS PRAYER” (GILLIAN WELCH COVER)
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are currently riding high off the love for this year’s Woodland, which is landing on a lot of the early major year-end lists, and now Phil Cook has released an instrumental cover of a 2003 song by Gillian from an album that David produced and co-wrote, “I Made A Lovers Prayer.”
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PATTERSON HOOD – “A WEREWOLF AND A GIRL” (ft. LYDIA LOVELESS)
Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood has announced his first solo album in 12 years, and it features a lot of cool guests, including Waxahatchee, Wednesday, Lydia Loveless, and more. Lydia’s on this first single, which you can read more about here.
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FISH NARC – “MY CEILING”
Fish Narc has announced a new album for K Records, and you can read about lead single “My Ceiling” here.
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VASHTI BUNYAN – “IF I WERE” (2001 DEMO)
Vashti Bunyan’s Lookaftering is getting a 20th anniversary reissue next year with bonus tracks, including this 2001 demo of “If I Were.” Read more here.
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MX LONELY – “BEAUTY LASTS FOR NEVER”
Brooklyn grungegazers Mx Lonely have a new single out and you can read about it here.
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KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “FOREVER ALIGNED”
Killswitch Engage have announced their first album in over five years, This Consequence, and lead single “Forever Aligned” is out now. Read more here and pick up our exclusive “engulfing moss” vinyl variant.
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COHEED AND CAMBRIA – “SEARCHING FOR TOMORROW”
Coheed and Cambria have announced their 11th album, The Father of Make Believe, along with the release of new single “Searching For Tomorrow.” Read more here.
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SACRED PAWS – “ANOTHER DAY”
Sacred Paws, aka the duo of Ray Aggs (Trash Kit, Shopping) and Eilidh Rodgers (Golden Grrrls), are back with their first new music in five years. Out via Merge Records, “Another Day” adds just a touch of bluegrass to their sunny, danceable sound.
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THE WEATHER STATION – “WINDOW”
The Weather Station have shared a second single from her upcoming album, Humanblood. It’s called “Window” and Tara Lindeman describes as “an anthem of escape.”
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EVERYTHING IS RECORDED – “LOSING YOU” FT SAMPHA, LAURA GROVES, JAH WOBBLE AND YAZZ AHMED
Everything is Recorded, aka the musical project of XL Recordings chief Richard Russell, has announced a new album, Temporary, which is out in February. There are tons of guests including Sampha, Laura Groves, Jah Wobble and Yazz Ahmed who are all on new single “Losing You.”
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ELA MINUS – “UPWARDS”
Ela Minus shared another new single from her forthcoming album DIA, and you can read more about it here.
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WILCO – “HANDSHAKE DRUGS (11/13/03 SEAR SOUNDS-NYC)”
Wilco announced a deluxe 20th anniversary of their fifth album, A Ghost is Born. It features 65 previously unreleased tracks, and you can read more about the first of them, an alternate take on “Handshake Drugs,” here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.